The convincing minds we have

So desperate to believe

what we have decided we are certain of,

Like scalding our tongues on our morning coffee

to hurry wakeful moments,

Finding patterns in our sacred texts

to make peace with preventable atrocities

Forcing our lives to be alike

while proclaiming our uniqueness,

Our emotions play accomplice in this,

For if you love someone enough

You can heal them

fix them

make them love you back

Not realizing that you hold all the love meant for the both of you

And give it all to them anyway

You have renamed this luggage hope

And painted it red

for love

for danger

for blood

That people are integrally good

as long as your doors are locked

And your gun is loaded

Minds are conflicted by fear

but rarely our own

That story you read of a woman raped

as a crowd watched

and did nothing

Reminds you of the time a homeless man

knocked on your car window

Asking for a dollar

You see, we all suffer